Flowers in the Field
by Ninde158
Summary: A collection of oneshots including ShikaIno, NejiTen, SasuSaku, NaruHina, NaruSaku, various team fics, and many more.  The list is growing, have someone you'd like to see?  Let me know.
1. Lilac ShikaIno

_Author's Note: The beginning of a long series of Shika/Ino and various character pairing fics which I offer for your consumption. For some I am using prompts from the List Eta over at 30kisses but as this collection expands I'm sure you'll see them begin to wander off into new territory. I gladly accept suggestions, requests, and criticism so review away! _

_Disclaimer: If Naruto was made mine I would probably die of a heart attack and at the moment I am very much alive. Alas._

**Lilac**

Shikamaru found Ino after the battle was over. His teammate was crouched at the edge of the weapon scarred clearing, long golden hair half out of it's ponytail, the tips dirty and frayed.

"You alright?" He asked, scanning her for injuries. Blood sprayed across her face worried him until he realized it wasn't hers. "Ino?"

"Fine." She stared blankly off to her right, eyes unfocused. The body lay at her feet, a kunai brutally lodged in the throat. Direct hit to the jugular. Well done.

He turned the corpse over with his foot, studying the markings on the soiled armor. "From Cloud, like the others." He didn't know why he was speaking, surely she knew this by now. She'd killed the man after all. There was no response and though he hadn't been expecting one, he found he couldn't leave her alone.

"Look Ino, the first kill is always the hardest…"

"It's not the body Shikamaru." Her eyes met his briefly before once again drifting away. "It's the flowers."

Until she'd mentioned it, he hadn't even noticed the flowering bushes that completely dominated the grove they'd chosen for the fight. Dripping with white blossoms they ringed the clearing completely, giving off a light, sweet scent, now nearly obliterated by the smell of blood and sweat.

"What are they?" He asked, knowing that, with her experience with flora, these flowers must hold some special significance.

"They're white lilacs." She said softly. Ino stood, her hand reaching out to grasp the nearest cluster. Covered with the blood of her victim, they seemed macabre, deformed.

Though Shikamaru knew that the approaching rain would soon remove all evidence of their struggle, he had to wonder what would become of these blossoms. Surely that much blood would be hard to remove.

"Well?" He considered the girl in front of him. "Enlighten me Ino, what do these flowers mean?"

His question startled her out of her reverie. "They…how do you know?"

"You may be emotional, but you're not morose, Ino. What do white lilacs stand for?"

Ino turned from the flowers completely, stepping over the body to move closer to him. "White lilacs." She said. "White lilacs are for innocence. The innocence of youth."

Shikamaru stared and it began to rain. Ino moved past him, joining up with Chouji and Asuma.

Drops pelted them, washing away the dirt, grime, and fear. Shikamaru knew however, that it wouldn't be enough.

Some things just couldn't be washed away.


	2. Snapshot Team TenShikaino

_Authors Notes: I always wondered how the Naruto characters must feel about having mortal enemies with incredibly detailed information on their every talent and attribute. This fic reflects that. Read and review please!_

_Disclaimer: If I had anything to do with writing Naruto my Japanese would be much better than it is._

****

**Snapshot**

"Our target goes by the name of Shou." Shikamaru handed out the dossiers given to him by the Hokage. "His attacks are largely believed to be earth-based so Chouji, you may have trouble in a one-on-one battle. Let's try to avoid that if possible."

"Right."

"Any other questions?"

Ino studied the snapshot attached to the paper she held. The man in the picture was not much older than they, his pale golden eyes shaded by a dark visor which cast half his face into shadow. Sharp incisors filed into points reflected light from the camera flash. "What was his ranking with Mist before he went rogue?"

"Chuunin." Shikamaru offered, "Though it's believed at this point he has exceeded jounin level. Why Tsunade always gives me these missions…troublesome woman…"

"Ah it's just because she knows we can take him down." Chouji slung an arm around his friends shoulders. "How could we not with Konoha's chief genius on our team?"

"Chouji…"

"Oh come on genius, you're not embarrassed are you?"

"Chouji I told you not to…"

"Ha ha! Ino don't you think…oi Ino!" Chouji bounded over to their female teammate who was still studying the photo in her hands. "What're you still looking at that for? Think he's cute?"

"Oh shut up Chouji." Ino snapped. "Do you honestly think I would even look twice at a freak who _files_ his own _teeth_?"

"Well you're still staring at that picture." Chouji pointed out. "What's the problem? All Shikamaru has to do is nail him with a shadow jutsu and we're done."

"I'm not afraid, if that's what you're thinking." The boys exchanged a glance.

"So the reason you can't tear your eyes away is…"

"Oh honestly." Ino whirled on them, her hair fanning out behind her. "Haven't you ever stopped to think about how many other shinobi out there are studying our files at this very moment? Looking down at our snapshots and laughing about how easy it's going to be to finish us off? It's just kind of creepy."

Her outburst silence the Akimichi. He shifted nervously, looking at her. "I well…yeah…"

For his part Shikamaru frowned. Of course he acknowledged the constant risk of being a shinobi. It was foolhardy not to think about it. They all knew that someone, somewhere was reviewing their identities and discussing how best to beat them.

But he'd never really thought about the photos.

Granted, it was a given that every ninja village on the continent would have him on file. He wasn't conceited enough to consider himself unique, but IQ's like his were not a usual occurrence either. He was building quite a success rate for himself after all, necessarily he would be seen as a growing threat.

Chouji probably had a file somewhere too. After his participation in the Sasuke mission his identity had no doubt been entered into any number of databases. It was hard to ignore a boy who could grow larger than a forest.

But Ino? Sure she'd worked outside of Konoha any number of times. And truth be told, considering she was from the Yamanaka clan there was sure to be someone keeping tabs on her. How big of a threat was she considered though?

Yamanaka talents were often used to fullest potential on spying missions. Ino wasn't yet at that stage, but it was only a matter of time, Shikamaru knew. The family was one of the oldest in Konoha, and Shikamaru was aware from his own father's stories that both Ino's father and grandfather had built up a fair number of sworn enemies over the generations.

Yamanaka mind tricks could bring down whole nations.

So it only made sense that Ino was as closely monitored as he and Chouji. The thought though, of some faceless shinobi staring down at a picture of his teammate and plotting her demise, was extremely disturbing to the Nara.

Quite frankly, it freaked him out.

"If they think we'd be easy to finish off they're fools." Ino and Chouji started at his sudden declaration. "We will out-think, out-fight, and out-play them." He regarded his teammates seriously. "Got it?"

They blinked at him. "Okay…" Chouji ventured, "What was that?"

"That," Ino said, an evil smirk appearing on her face, "was Shikamaru's first pep talk." With a laugh she launched herself onto their leader. "Oh Shika, are you getting sentimental? Have you been hanging around Lee too much lately?"

"Leave off Ino." Shikamaru shrugged her off, but not unkindly. "Let's head out guys, we've got a mission to complete."

"Right!" Three sandaled feet dug into the ground and leapt into the trees.

They left nothing but footprints.


	3. Unforgivable ShikaIno

_Author's Notes: One of my favorites. You know these guys will never be able to interact normally. Let me know what you think!_

_Disclaimer: If Naruto was mine Sasuke would get his head on straight and Ino would get her own story arc. Enough said._

**Unforgivable**

"Ino I'm sorry." Shikamaru repeated for the twelfth time.

"Shut UP Shikamaru."

Apparently the twelve apologies were not going to cut it.

"Ino, this is a mission. I had to do something or our cover was going to be blown, what with how you were acting. Do you want the villagers to figure out what we're actually doing here?"

"You kissed me!" She hissed, eyes blazing at him across the room in the inn that served as their headquarters. "Kissed me! In front of everyone!"

"You were flirting with the bartender." He said through his teeth. "What were you thinking anyway? Is that how you imagine all honeymooning couples act? Two more seconds of that and the shinobi two tables over would have been all over us." No response and he sighed. "Does it really matter what complete strangers think, Ino?"

"I don't think Gai's team counts as complete strangers." She threw back.

"And how was I supposed to cover that?" Shikamaru asked, "We didn't know they'd be passing though here on their way back to Konoha. It's not as if we can acknowledge that we know them."

Ino groaned and flopped onto the bed. "They all saw it. Tenten will talk, I know it, and then all Konoha will know. Everyone! It's unforgivable!"

Shikamaru felt his temper flare to life. He could take a lot of abuse from Ino, had been trained to do so from childhood actually. But right here, right now, he'd had enough. Crossing to the bed he grabbed her shoulders and forced her to face him.

"Unforgivable huh? So it would have been better if I'd let the guy tailing us slit our throats during dinner? It would have been better if Chouji had come back to find two corpses instead of a team? Maybe you're right Ino, at least then your pride wouldn't be bruised!" He could feel heat building in his head. "Get your head on straight Ino!"

"But it's…I…" Ino stared at the infuriated boy. "Shikamaru?"

His hands were still gripping her shoulders and though he touched her on a daily basis for training and fighting, he hardly ever approached her for any other reason. "Does it really matter to you that much what people in Konoha think? Would it really be that horrible if everyone thought we were a couple?" He released her and stepped back.

"I need air." He moved toward the door. "Tell Chouji we'll have the meeting at 6."

"I guess it wouldn't be that bad." Her words stopped him.

"What wouldn't be so bad?" She was still sitting on the bed, fingers fiddling with the edge of her skirt.

"If everyone thought we were a couple."

Now it was his turn to stare. Trust Ino to completely boggle his mind with only seven words. "Well…good."

"Shikamaru?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you just ask me out?"

"Yeah, I guess I did."

"Oh."

"And you just accepted."

"Yeah."

Chouji, standing unnoticed in the doorway, made them both jump. "Did I just miss what I think I did?"

Shikamaru sighed and stood aside to let him in. "I think we all missed it."


	4. Road Trip Team Ten

_Author's Notes: As you might have guessed, I dig the Shika-Ino-Chou team. And with good reason. How can resist second generation teamwork wonderkinds? Anyway, this one was pretty fun to write, even though it's short. Review please! I love hearing from you. Plus, if anyone can guess why I chose to make their client from 'Rice Country' you get a shiny gold star._

_Disclaimer: Getting paid to write Naruto stories would be amazing, but unfortunately someone named Kishimoto beat me to it. Blast._

**Road Trip**

Chouji arrived back at their camp as darkness fell, the wood he'd gone out to collect tucked securely under his arm. As Shikamaru helped him unload his find near the smoking fire, Chouji nodded towards their charge who sat talking to Ino next to the tent. "What're they discussing?"

Shikamaru shrugged, "Ino asked him about some of the local customs in his country."

"And?"

"There are some similarities to Konoha, plenty of differences though." They walked towards the kunoichi and her companion. "Rice country seems to have some crazy kind of coming-of-age ritual."

"Yeah? What does it involve?"

Shikamaru nodded toward the pair. "They're talking about it now."

Ino's voice was raised in disbelief as they reached her side. "So you're telling me that you and your friends have to travel in a vehicle of some sort for _weeks_ without food or water or clean clothing?" The boy nodded, "And most of your supplies come from begging?" Another nod. "And there isn't even a set destination?" Affirmative.

"What is this?" Chouji asked skeptically, "It sounds horrible."

Ino was clearly past disgust with the idea. "They don't even wash regularly! Can you imagine? What a horrid idea, who came up with this sort of punishment anyway?"

"Well actually," The boy flushed as the three turned to look at him, "It's considered pretty fun. Everyone wants to do it."

"They volunteer?!" Ino scoffed at the idea. "I'm done with this concept. Chouji did you bring the wood?" Chouji pointed out the pile on the other side of the campground. "Good, I'll start dinner." With a flip of her hair she left.

"Don't mind her." Shikamaru reassured the boy, who was looking apprehensive. "She's always like that."

"I didn't mean to…" He stumbled to a stop. "It really is fun. My friends and I tried it a year or so ago."

"It does sound a little strange to me." Chouji admitted. Voluntary food shortage was a bad idea in his opinion. "What's it called anyway?"

"A road trip."


	5. Sunrise NejiTen

_Author's Notes: Here comes NejiTen! Now that you have me started who knows when I'll stop, but it's good to see this fic series widening it's scope a bit, ne? This chapter is for Konoha.chick91 because she's been so awesome with her reviews and support. (She'd probably prefer a shikaino drabble, but this will have to do for now) Anyway, read and review! Reviews bring smiles of joy to my face._

_Disclaimer: Naruto may not be mine, but I can always pretend. Right?_

**Sunrise**

The four of them were twenty feet in the air, with nothing between them and the distant ground but a dead tree trunk and their determination.

As Tenten dug her toes into the rotting bark she had to wonder just what about this rotten tree had screamed to Gai sensei that it just simply _must _be used as the site for their morning yoga routine. In Tenten's opinion it was much better to practice yoga on a proper yoga mat.

On the ground.

Ideally, sometime after 4 in the morning.

"Now my glorious students, let us transition from our Tree pose to the equally illustrious Toe Stand pose!" Gai demonstrated just how to do this with a fluid single motion. "You see my youthful protégés? With concentration of the mind, how such a simple maneuver produces such beauty?"

Tenten exchanged a skeptical glance with Hyuuga Neji, who was currently balanced to her right, and doing a much better job at this whole exercise than she was.

For his part, Lee executed the desired pose perfectly. "Gai sensei!" He cried, as he lowered himself into an even more contorted crouch than was required. "Such exercises certainly bring us to our full youthful potential! Indeed I can now truly grasp the beauty in such a simple movement!"

"Lee!"

"Gai!"

Deciding to ignore her teacher and teammate to the best of her ability, Tenten began to lower herself into the Toe Stand pose. This required her to switch her pivot leg, resting the left over the right slightly above the knee, all while keeping her fingers intertwined in a 'very necessary position' as Gai had assured them. Moving very slowly she sank down.

The bark beneath her toes began to shift as she settled her weight more firmly onto her right foot. Feeling the old tree begin to give way she let a small gasp escape her lips and immediately began to unfold in order to right her balance.

Unfortunately for her, this meant moving legs which had been contorted into various positions for an hour and a half. Legs that were severely cramped and beginning to feel distinctly tingly.

Tenten started to fall backwards.

Even as she twisted to prepare for landing, a hand partially covered by a large white sleeve shot out and grabbed the front of her shirt. In seconds she found herself pulled forward onto the tree again. Falling against the trunk, she slapped her hands into the traitorous wood and used a beam of chakra to secure herself to the tree.

Having secured herself she looked breathlessly over at her savior. Neji regarded her calmly, though she could see small lines creasing the skin around his eyes. Somehow he'd managed to stop her backward fall without losing his Toe Stand position.

Drat him and his genius potential, she thought, and immediately flushed at the resentful thought.

"Are you balanced?" He asked her, hand still clasping the fabric at the front of her shirt.

"Yes. Thanks." Neji nodded and released her, causing Tenten to realize just where he'd been holding onto her. Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red, though he seemed completely unaffected.

Double drat him.

"Tenten!" She turned to see Gai and Lee both watching her with worry. "What has disrupted your usually flawless stamina?"

"Sorry, I just lost balance." She apologized. "I'm having trouble centering my thoughts."

"Understandable." Gai nodded and straightened to stand normally on the log. "Students, our intrepid Tenten has pointed out something very important. To clear one's mind is essential to yoga. Let us do several breathing exercises to revitalize and rejuvenate our youthful energies."

The three of them stood, Tenten making sure to reposition her feet around the crumbling wood.

"Right." Gai nodded, "Such wonderful timing we have! Let us all extend our arms and greet the rising sun! Ready? Exhale."

Moving in perfect sync with her teammates, Tenten opened her arms in a wide sweep in front of her body, moving them up over her head in an arc that mirrored the path of the sun as it blazed to life on the horizon.

"Inhale."

Light flooded the area around them and in the tree canopies to either side birds began to sing their morning greetings. Taking in the waking world around her she exchanged a smile with Lee on her left.

What a glorious morning.

Still smiling with the feeling of peace that had invaded her body, Tenten chanced a look to her right and nearly forgot to continue the movement of her arms.

"Exhale."

Neji was looking at her, his face illuminated by the rays of the rising sun. Pale eyes were momentarily colored by the sunrise and something else, a smile perhaps? Tenten was too wrapped up in the emotion of the instant to care. Even as the world came to life around them, to Tenten it seemed to fade away, isolating the two of them on their tree in the forest at the break of the day.

It was a perfect moment.

Gai's voice announcing the end of the exercise brought her back to reality. She wondered if Neji had been caught up in the same sensation she had just experienced. The relative slowness of his movements seemed to suggest just that, but one could never be sure with him.

As they descended to the forest floor he caught her eye again and she knew he'd felt it as well.

Maybe, Tenten decided, yoga wasn't such a worthless exercise after all.


	6. Healer SasuSaku

_Author's notes: This is a Sasu/Saku drabble per request for konoha.chick91, so I hope she likes it! I'll admit it's my first attempt at writing this pair, but I thought it had an interesting tone to it and I'd like to write them again. I'd also like to send a shout-out to inochanlove for saying such lovely things in her reviews. Thanks a bunch! Set in the indefinite future, read and review please._

_Disclaimer: We're probably all better off for Naruto not being mine. If I wrote it it would devolve into endless smut and angst._

**Healer**

They'd locked him in a cell with no windows and a solitary door.

He was strapped to a cold metal bed, his arms and legs secured with thick leather straps, tied tightly enough that he no longer had feeling in his fingers. He didn't begrudge them the restraints, it was for their own protection. He was, after all, an S-class criminal.

He wouldn't bother to tell them that no amount of steel and leather could hold him back should he choose to leave. They already knew.

Uchiha Sasuke might play other people's games, but he walked his own road.

He could hear the guards pacing outside his prison, the steady steps of shinobi multiplied by three. A triplicate guard for a captive damned thrice to hell. Their fear of him was a living, palpable thing. A tool which he could mold, manipulate, and use to his advantage if he wished, but at the moment he was content to lie on the cold metal bed and listen to their ceaseless march.

She came to see him alone and weaponless, a fact which he noted immediately and remarked upon with some curiosity. He hadn't been planning on speaking to her, or anyone for that matter, but some long-buried feeling resurfaced at the sight of her and it was easier to act on it than restrain himself.

"You're not afraid."

Sakura met his eyes, her green orbs unaffected by the sharingan that brought countless others to their knees. "I know you won't hurt me."

How did she know? He wondered, closing his eyes as she examined the shallow cuts left on his legs from his capture. What instinct told her that Uchiha Sasuke, murderer of dozens, plague of Konoha, and killer of Orachimaru would never harm her? How could she possibly understand who she was to him? Sasuke wanted to ask her.

He needed her to explain it to him.

They'd both changed, he into a dark and sullied destroyer, she into a powerful healer of men. He was no longer a young boy who fought from rage and hatred, but a man who didn't rely on emotions, operating under motives unclear even to himself. Sakura, likewise, was no longer a girl who chased after what she couldn't have.

The new Haruno Sakura was a woman who fought for what she wanted.

"It's no use." He told her as her cool chakra flooded his body, erasing any sign that he'd fought against her friends just yesterday.

He opened his eyes to find her staring down at him. He could name every emotion that flitted across her features: sadness, resolve, anger. What did she see on his face?

"I can't heal your mind, Sasuke." Her hands brushed his arms as she checked his restraints, "I can't even heal your body, not completely." Two fingers lingered on his curse seal, the heat in her touch momentarily startling him. The fingers came to rest on his chest.

His eyes met hers for the second time.

"But I _can_ heal your heart." Sakura told him. "If you let me."


	7. Eye of the Storm SasuSaku

_Author's notes: A Sasu/Saku request written for xoxBra's Unrequited Romancexox. Once again a darker tone for this pair, but in light of recent chapters it seems more appropriate. Once again set in the indefinite future. Read and review, don't be shy about requests either! Prompt words are appreciated if possible._

_Disclaimer: Nothing I own is nearly as sparkly or grand as Naruto._

**Eye of the Storm**

They were reunited in the middle of a battlefield, surrounded by bodies and muck. The shouts of her friends and his enemies swarmed through the air like Shino's insects, announcing deadly jutsus, registering pain, launching attacks. In a bloodied field in the land of leaves an era was dying, writhing in its death throes like a beast before the hunter.

Sasuke and Sakura were reunited as the world fell apart around them.

She finds him in the darkest corner of this chaotic world they've created, largely untouched by the dirt and grime that seems to cling to her every pore. Even standing in the middle of a hell of his own making, to Sakura he's perfect. She doesn't delude herself with the belief that he is still the boy she loved, but during her reflective moments she is able to admit that she always knew they would end up here, in this place. Sasuke the avenger, who has finally cast off the moral high ground that fit him so badly. Sakura the healer, forever trying to correct the evils that men do to each other.

"Sasuke."

He casts aside his defeated appointment and considers her. "I'll fight you if I need to." She tells him, "But this time I won't let you leave."

The sharingan whirls, black and red vortexes ripping through her and piecing her back together again. "It's been a long time." He says finally.

She stands steady as he approaches, bracing herself for a hidden blade or a burst of fire. Sakura isn't afraid of pain, she's afraid of failure. He reaches her and she glares at him defiantly. "This has to end."

"Yes it does." He agrees, and there's no attack, no new betrayal, no genjutsu.

Sasuke kisses her instead.

Their kiss tastes of blood and sweat, these things not normally associated with romance are nevertheless at the core of their relationship. She clings to him and his hands are in her hair, gripping locks that have been kept short out of necessity and nostalgia for a forgotten moment. Sakura is crying, but doesn't care because by this point he's already seen, and she no longer wants to hide from him. There have been walls between them for a long time and she sure as hell won't resurrect them now.

He pulls away first, rough fingers touch the side of her face in a caress. "Run." He tells her, not letting go just yet. "Run away and don't look back."

"I won't let you leave." It's a vow, a promise, a confession.

"I'll come back." He promises and she knows it to be true. "We'll meet again, on the battlefield."

"Where?" She knows the answer before he speaks it, because if they are always coming from different sides, there in really only one place to meet.

"In the middle."

It breaks her heart, but he's right. They will always steal these moments, cheat death and fate as only a shinobi and kunoichi can. "Someday." She tells him. "Someday we won't have to."

"So be it." He releases her. "For now you must run."

So she runs, sprinting back towards the safety zone, joining the retreating forces around her, not bothering to duck as a massive fire ball roars into the night sky, announcing the simultaneous retreat of the other forces.

Sakura turns back at the border, ignoring his order to not look back. She can't spot him in the chaos but she knows he's safe, retreating with the rest. He's left again, but somehow she can accept it. There will be many more battles to come. Indeed, there's no doubt that this horrific war will escalate into conflict after conflict.

Sakura will come, and she will fight, and she will meet him in the middle.


	8. Tear NejiTen

_Author's Notes: Hello all! Sorry there's been a bit of a lag between updates. I've been busy with writing 'Burning Bright' and reading Harry Potter, so if you're curious as to where the rest of my attention has been going, check my other stories. As always, please read and review, I love reading your reviews. Here's a Neji/Ten for your enjoyment. _

_Disclaimer: If Hyuuga Neji belonged to me, he would get a lot more hugs. The boy is downright morose at times..._

****

**Tear**

The tear was long and jagged, radiating out from the cloth's seam in a lightning bolt fashion, cleaving the soft fabric in two. Fingering the rent, Hyuuga Neji frowned.

Another tunic ruined.

Such were the hazards of being a shinobi and, in the end, he was grateful that the cloth had taken the brunt of the wayward shuriken, saving his skin from unnecessary damage. Resigned to finding a replacement for the clothing upon his return to Konoha, he removed a kunai from his hip pouch, preparing to slice off the damaged fabric.

"Wait!"

Raising an eyebrow at his female teammate, Neji did as she asked, straightening a bit as she came over to observe the damage. "It's better if I remove it now." He told her. "Having the ends flap around like that will only be a distraction."

Tenten's sharp brown eyes locked on to the tear, before rising to meet his own pale gaze. "I can fix it." She said decisively, already rummaging in her knapsack for the necessary tools. "That'll save you the trouble of cutting off your sleeve." Motioning for him to take off his shirt, she sank to her knees on the river bank where they'd set up camp. "It'll only take a minute."

"You sew?" She nodded and Neji shrugged out of the offending article of clothing. Normally he would be a bit more hesitant to disrobe at a strange campsite in front of a girl, but this was an exception. Gai and Lee had reported back half an hour before that they were not being pursued, making the area secure.

And Tenten wasn't just any girl.

Handing over the tunic, Neji walked to the river, splashing cool water over his dirty face and hands. Their mission had been a success, largely due to Tenten's aim and Lee's bravado. His own skills had come in handy as well, keeping his team safe during their hurried retreat from the citadel. The scrolls the Hokage desired would be back in Konoha by nightfall tomorrow. Everything seemed to be in order.

Brushing long strands of hair off of his face, the Hyuuga turned from the riverbank, taking a moment to watch Tenten's progress. She sewed quickly and efficiently, much as she did everything else. The thread was pulled in and out of the cloth with short, precise strokes which Tenten didn't bother to double-check, confident they were correctly positioned the first time through. Her perfect aim, it seemed, extended even to such a mundane activity.

Neji had never seen Tenten fail. She'd been beaten and defeated certainly, run through the harshest of tests and subjected to the cruel realities that all kunoichi had to face, but in all the time that Neji had known her, he'd never seen her fall short of what was expected. The chuunin exams aside, (Neji had always thought the sand nins should have been disqualified due to their sabotage alone) Tenten had never failed to fulfill anyone else's expectations for her. It was a record that anyone would be proud of, and yet Tenten never revealed her feelings on the subject. She wasn't cocky, egotistic, or smug. She didn't sit back to revel in her successes, instead choosing to push forward, attain the next plateau.

What, he wondered, were Tenten's goals for herself?

She waved his now-mended shirt at him. "Done!" Standing slowly he brushed dirt and grass of his pants as he walked to her side, accepting the newly repaired tunic with a nod of thanks. She watched as he put it back on, a smile gracing her lips when she saw that the material hung correctly, not snagging due to the stitching. He inspected the repair, unable to find a fault.

"Do you ever miss?" He asked, observing how her fingers froze on her sewing kit as he asked the question.

She paused before stuffing the sewing kit back into her bag. "With my weapons? Never."

"I meant in a broader sense." He offered a hand, helping her to her feet. "In life, your goals, dreams…"

She fiddled briefly with the latch on her bag before meeting his gaze straight on. He was surprised to see a slight blush on her cheeks. Tenten blushed very infrequently, so why now? "My goals? I haven't missed any so far." She replied, growing inexplicably redder. "Am I succeeding in life? I think it's too early to tell."

"And your dreams?" Neji felt foolish talking about such things, since when had he begun giving any credence to dreams? Since Naruto he supposed, because if such an impulsive, foolish person could have dreams then surely someone as measured as Tenten would as well.

"My dreams…" Her voice trailed off and Neji suddenly found himself trapped by the sight of her. Dark brown hair wound into the neat buns he found practical and strangely comforting. The simple silk shirt that covered what most girls would flaunt. The small spattering of freckles that crossed the bridge of her nose…

When, he wondered, had the twelve year old girl become a woman?

"My dreams." Tenten repeated and Neji regretted asking the question, because what right did he, the ultimate skeptic, have in prying into such things? He wanted to take it back, snatch the words from where they hovered between them. It was too late for that however and instead he found himself leaning forward ever so slightly, hanging onto her every word.

"Well, as for my dreams..." She said, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see." Smiling up at him, Tenten slung her knapsack over her shoulders and then did something she'd never done before.

She kissed him on the cheek.

"What are your dreams Neji?" She asked, then skipped off to join Lee and Gai on their hunt for firewood.

He thought that was a very good question.


	9. Hair Cut NaruHina

_Author's Notes: This is a requested Naru/Hina one shot for C.A.M.E.O1 and only and konohachick.91. This was another first for me, since I'm just getting started with all of these Naruto couples. Hope it pleases! For those of you who have requested other pairings, I'm working on them, but often I wait until I find an idea which really appeals to me. Read and review please, I really love to hear from you._

_Disclaimer: Still not mine, sitll all Kishimoto's. All those letters to Santa have been for naught._

**Hair Cut**

"Oi! Hinata! Hinata, wait up!"

The streets of Konoha echoed with the enthusiastic calls of it's arguably most energetic citizen: Uzumaki Naruto. In a blur of yellow and orange he sped down the narrow streets, kicking up clouds of dust, inciting frenzy in neighborhood pests and generally causing chaos until he reached the side of one of Konoha's quietest kunoichi.

Hinata was not sure whether to be alarmed or thrilled.

"N…Naruto kun." She stuttered. "How are you today?" Wide eyes took in the boy's disheveled appearance, his large grin bringing a flush of color to her pale cheeks.

"Fine, thanks Hinata. Hey, I've got a favor to ask of you."

"You…you do?" Hinata blinked in surprise. The Hyuuga heir was not averse to the idea, not in the slightest, the fact that Naruto had apparently decided to seek her out specifically for this purpose was an unexpected pleasure. Smiling tremulously, she mentally canceled her afternoon plans to meet with Tenten for senbon shopping. This was much more important, as she was sure the older girl would understand. "What do you need?"

"I need you to cut my hair." Naruto announced, brandishing a pair of what appeared to be kitchen shears. "I brought the scissors and everything, I can just sit down and you can cut it right here in the street."

"C…cut your hair?" Hinata was so surprised she couldn't help but gape. "Naruto kun, that's what barbers are for."

"I don't have enough money for a barber." Naruto said very matter-of-factly. "I need all my money for ramen, and so I can treat you to a bowl after you finish. How about it Hinata? Ichiraku's just a block away, cut my hair and we can go right over." His eyes glazed over hungrily, "I'm gonna get chicken and egg this time, boy I can't wait!"

"I…I..um…" Hinata's head was spinning, she'd never attempted to cut anyone else's hair before. How in the world had Naruto decided she was the prime candidate for this little venture? "Are you sure you want me to c…cut your hair for you Naruto kun?"

"Yep." He nodded, brandishing the scissors towards her once more. "I asked Sakura chan first, but she said you're much better than she is. She even said you cut your own hair! Is that true?"

"I…um…yes." Hinata fingered her fringe shyly. She'd always taken quiet pride in her ability to sculpt hair, she just never had expected anyone else to notice. She'd have to thank Sakura later.

"Well then." The scissors were thrust into her hands. "Cut away!" Naruto plopped himself down in the street. "I just want a little off the top, it's okay if you keep it longer on the sides."

"N…Naruto kun?"

"Yes Hinata?" He looked up at her, blue eyes sparkling. "What is it?"

"M…Maybe we should get out of the middle of the street."

Naruto, apparently unaware up until this point of the traffic rerouting itself around them, stood up and brushed off his pants. "I guess you're right, where should we go?"

Minutes later, the pair was situated on a low garden wall half a block from Ichiraku. "So we can just run right over when you're done." Naruto had told her. Wielding the scissors with an ease that would have surprised many in her clan, Hinata eyed the spiky blond mass in front of her and began cutting.

Naruto continued to jabber as she snipped away split ends and dirty knots. "So how did you learn how to do this Hinata? Did you take a class?"

"No." She navigated around a cowlick that she personally found adorable. Not that she'd ever admit to it, she'd rather die first. "I…I taught myself, during grade school."

"Wow Hinata." Naruto tipped his head back to consider her, very nearly avoiding being scalped. "That's great!"

"Y…You're the first person to say that." She said, shaping the hair at the back of his head with confident cuts.

"Huh? Why?"

"My…my father disapproves." She admitted, feeling a hot flush of shame rise inside her, as was apt to happen whenever she thought about her father. "It's not seemly…"

"That's bull!" Naruto jumped up and spun to face her, which would have been a hazard to his health if she hadn't already finished and pulled the scissors back. "How can he disapprove of a _talent_? Especially one that's so useful?!"

"Father disapproves of l…lots of things." Hinata explained, handing the scissors back to the boy. "H…Here you go Naruto kun. I'm finished."

"Already?" Naruto ran a few paces to admire himself in a storefront window. "Wow Hinata! It looks great!! Thank you!"

"You're w…welcome." She said, a warm feeling settling in her chest. She gasped suddenly as a friendly arm was slung about her shoulders.

"Don't let your dad talk down about your talent ever again." Naruto told her, holding her in the awkward half-hug that was making her heart pound wildly. "It doesn't matter what he thinks, _I_ think you're great."

"Thank you." Hinata whispered, wondering how this day could possibly become any more unexpected or wonderful.

"Ramen time!" Naruto declared grabbing her hand to drag her with him. "Hey Hinata," He stopped suddenly, "Would your dad disapprove if this was a date?"

"D…definitely." Hinata gaped at him, what was he suggesting?

"A date it is then!" Naruto laughed and pulled her forward towards Ichiraku. "And we can do this every time you cut my hair, Hinata, what do you think?"

Hinata's answer was a big grin that seemed to light her from within.

She hoped Naruto's hair grew quickly.


	10. Triple Threat NaruSaku

_Author's Notes: Hello all! I'm back with a new drabble for all of you. This is a Naru/Saku request for Jaded Diamond, hope it suits. Thank you all for reading and reviewing, I just love hearing from you guys. Remember, as always, requests are open, couples, prompt words, I will do my best. Enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine, alas, alack, weep, and sigh._

**Triple Threat**

"How come now that I'm a chuunin I still get stuck with all the missions that suck?" Naruto groused, lifting the squalling infant high above his head. "I'm a fighter! The next hokage! Not a babysitter!"

"Naruto! Don't hold the baby like _that_!" Sakura glared at her teammate. "Babies need more support, here hold her head like this." Positioning his hands more firmly behind the little girl's head, Sakura huffed her breath out in exasperation. "Honestly, it's like you've never held a baby before."

"I haven't." Wondering how exactly to stop the baby from piercing his eardrums with its high-pitched cries, Naruto began to bounce his knee up and down. "Only baby I ever took care of was myself."

"Obviously." Sakura snapped. "Don't bounce her like that, she'll get brain damage or something!"

"Oh come on," Naruto cajoled, "I remember being bounced like this and look how I turned out." He caught the skeptical glance she threw his way and flushed instantly. "Hey! What are you implying?"

"Nothing." Sakura bent over, straightening the small pink bow in one of her two charge's hair.

The Yamaguchi family of Konoha had recently been blessed with identical triplet girls a fact which had both thrilled and astonished the populace of the village. As a general rule the children of ninjas were high-spirited and hard to care for in their early years of life. To have three at the same time was a handful to say the least. The Yamaguchi parents had handled the task well for the first three months, but had clearly been in need of a break. It was then that the Hokage had come up with the brilliant mission idea that Sakura and Naruto were currently being subjected to.

They weren't the initial pair to be put in charge of the babies. Neji and Tenten had been the first team subjected to the trial, saved only by the late arrival of Lee who had managed to change, feed, and re-diaper the three bundles of joy, all while providing his beleaguered teammates with aspirin and a respite from what Neji had come to term 'baby-wrangling'.

Next up was the hapless trio of Kiba, Shino, and Hinata. Shino had categorically refused to touch the children, as terrified of them as they were of his bugs. Hinata had done her best, but her naturally sensitive nature had not held up well under the persistent grumpiness of the baby girls. Both had fled the scene, leaving Kiba and Akamaru to entertain their charges. Kiba had handled the situation well for a time, but had ultimately caved and called his mother who had let him know, in no uncertain terms, that babies were not puppies and could certainly not be fed out of bowls on the floor.

This had all brought about the assignment of Sakura and Naruto as the baby girls' interim parents. To his astonishment, the infant Naruto held gave a small sneeze and stopped squalling, her large purple eyes opening to stare at the boy holding her.

"Look at that! Sakura chan, look! This one stopped crying!" Naruto smiled, patting the child on the top of her head. "Good baby."

"Naruto!" Sakura would have buried her head in her hands if either had been free to do so. "The child's name is not 'baby', its Saeko."

"I don't know how you tell them apart." He told her, letting Saeko chew on one of his jacket straps. "They all look the same to me."

"They're _identical_." Sakura gritted, "That's the whole _point_, they're supposed to look the same." Seeing from Naruto's expression that this information hadn't made much of a difference to him one way or the other, she sighed. "The one you're holding, Saeko, has the yellow clothes, Sakiko is in blue, and Satoko is wearing pink."

"Oh, that's a cool way to tell!" Naruto grinned down at the child in his arms. "Better keep wearing the same color though or you're gonna forget who you are, huh?"

The baby gurgled up at him happily, entranced, it seemed, by his shiny uniform. "Ha ha, look at that Sakura! She wants to play with my forehead protector!"

"I…" Sakura stared aghast as Naruto handed over the fascinating object, which Saeko promptly stuck in her mouth. "Naruto! You don't know where that's been!"

"Sure I do, it's been on my head the whole time." Naruto reassured her. "Look at her chew on it! Woah, careful there baby or you'll dent it. Don't want people thinking I'm a rogue nin." Saeko laughed up at him, tiny feet kicking vigorously.

Sakura sighed, settling back into the arm chair she sat in. Careful not to wake either of the sleeping babies she held, she craned her neck to look at the wall clock. Not too much longer and Team Ten would come on-shift. An evil grin formed on her lips as she pictured Ino attempting to change a diaper. Maybe there was some way to position a hidden camera in the bathroom…

Perhaps it was a combination of the quiet house and the warm bundles she held, or maybe it was just because she was tired, but Sakura drifted off to sleep. When she started awake she found herself sans children, covered in the light green throw that had been positioned on the back of the couch when she'd drifted off. Checking the clock, only five minutes until Team Ten arrived, Sakura stood. Where had Naruto gone? And what in the world had he done with the babies?

She couldn't hear any crying, which was either very good or very bad. Climbing the stairs to the upstairs nursery, Sakura caught the low murmur of Naruto's voice coming through the door, which was ajar. Peeking in, ready to fly to the rescue if necessary, she was brought to a surprised halt by the scene that met her eyes.

Naruto had laid all the babies in their triple-sized cradle and was currently hanging over the side, talking quietly to them, prompting baby giggles with the funny faces he was pulling.

"Look at you guys." He murmured, wrinkling his nose to a peal of laughter. "All three of you, all the same. That's cool, you know, I always wanted a sister." Sakiko blew a spit bubble at him and he laughed. "Ooh, remember how to do that baby. Spit Bubble no Jutsu. It'll be a hit at the academy."

Sakura, amused by this domestic side of Naruto, leaned back against the wall keeping her presence a secret. Unaware he was being watched, most of Naruto's manic energy was toned down, instead he appeared relaxed. If a tad out of his element. He hadn't had much of a childhood she reflected, indeed, such harsh treatment would have broken a lesser spirit. From his infancy he'd been ostracized, how had he managed to rise above it all to become such a respectable person? Not once had Naruto been given the attention he craved.

It occurred to her that perhaps he knew just what babies needed.

"Someday," he was telling the children. "I'm gonna be your Hokage and I'll teach you all about being good kunoichi. Well, I don't know so much about the girl stuff, but maybe Sakura chan can help me out, she's really good at being a girl. You guys'll be great though, we can think up a cool name and everything. Triple Threat or something, and then I'll give you guys all the sucky missions so I can have the cool ones, just wait and see."

Sakura smiled. Swinging the door open further, she joined him at the side of the crib. "Looks like you guys are all getting along." She said.

"Oh totally." Naruto tapped Satoko on the nose. "This baby here is a little punk, Sakura chan, she's gonna be trouble."

"Well, I'm sure you'll be able to handle her." Sakure told him. "The current Hokage has managed to handle you, right?"

Naruto let the meaning of her words sink in before his face broke into a wide grin. "You bet Sakura chan! Just wait and see!" A companionable silence fell over the two of them and Sakura marveled at the peacefulness of the moment. Something just felt right, as if this was the most perfect place to be. Sidling a bit closer to Naruto she smiled down at the three girls. People could say what they wanted to about Naruto…

Someday he would make a wonderful hokage.

"Oi, Sakura." Naruto asked, "Why does that baby smell so bad?"

"Huh?" The moment was effectively ruined. Sakura bent forward examining Sakiko who had apparently chosen this moment to soil her diaper. "Oh no…I think we have to change her…" Sakiko's little face screwed up into a pout, the wailing cry was not far behind.

Some stroke of luck, perhaps even heavenly intervention, dictated that this was exactly the moment that Shikamaru, Ino, and Chouji arrived on the scene. Walking into the nursery, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets, Shikamaru took in the scene. "Figures you'd leave right at feeding time." He groused.

"Ah! Shikamaru! Great to see you, I think Sakiko needs changing but it's time for us to go so….bye!" Grabbing Naruto by the arm Sakura dragged him to the door, shouldering her way past Chouji. "Have fun!"

"If I find out you planned this, you're in a world of trouble Sakura!" Ino screeched after them.

As they reached the street, Naruto stopped abruptly, his hand going to his forehead. "Hey! That baby still has my forehead protector!" He yelled, turning back to the house.

"You can get it later, can't you?" Asked Sakura desperately, wanting to get far, far down the street before any diapers were removed.

"Hell no! I'll fight that baby for that forehead protector!" Naruto declared, heading back inside. "That's mine! She hasn't earned it!"

"You can't _fight _a _baby_!" Watching him storm back up to the nursery, Sakura sighed. Someday Naruto might make a great hokage, but for now he needed a lot of work.


	11. Touch KibaHina

_Author's Notes: Quick update this time, ne? This is another request for Jaded Diamond, who wanted a Kiba/Hina with the keyword 'touch'. I have no idea if this was what was expected, but the following story sprang into my head almost immediately. I've never written Kiba before, so please let me know what you think, reviews mean the world to me. Thanks for reading, and enjoy!_

_Disclaimer: If Naruto was mine it would be less fun for me, no anticipation or angst between chapters! As it is, I can theorize to my heart's content._

**Touch**

Inuzuka Kiba sighed, digging his sandaled feet deeper into the loose dirt surrounding the fallen log he sat on. Next to him, Akamaru whined in a similar fashion, his fuzzy countenance the perfect mirror of his master's. Two pairs of eyes turned to watch Team 8's teacher struggle to explain the finer points of chakra etiquette to Aburame Shino.

"Just because the chakra is there for the taking doesn't mean you can just _take_ it." Kurenai was repeating, "The bugs might want to, you might even think it's a good idea, but under _no_ circumstances are you allowed to steal your teammates' chakra."

Shino muttered something that Kiba, even with his excellent hearing, couldn't catch. Kurenai's reaction was clue enough however, to the nature of what had been said. Rolling her eyes, she wagged a wary finger in her wayward pupil's face. "I don't care if it's reflex, this is something you have to _train_ to control, Shino." A quick glance at the sky told her the day was not quite half over and with a nod she dragged Shino back over to the side of the training ground his classmates currently sat on. "Kiba, Hinata? Shino and I are going to have to train separately for an hour or so, do you think you two can entertain yourselves for a little while?"

Kiba heaved another huge sigh. When he'd decided to become a shinobi he'd been more than prepared for the fighting, ready for the strategy and study, hyped about the missions and practice. He'd just never expected there would be so much _waiting_ involved. Less than a month had passed since he'd been assigned to Team 8, and though he was more than relieved that he and Akamaru would no longer be caged in that horrid smelling little classroom, this was not exactly what he'd had in mind.

Not that he was about to tell Kurenai sensei any of these thoughts. No, that would not be conducive to a pain-free practice. Instead he nodded, Akamaru mimicking him in a furry bob of ears and snout. "Yeah, sure." He drawled, wishing he had thought to bring one of Akamaru's chew toys with him. "Whatever."

Next to him, perched on the very end of the log, Hyuuga Hinata nodded as well. "Th…that's fine Kurenai sensei." Their teacher smiled at both of them, pleased by their compliance.

"Good, we shouldn't be gone too long." Giving Hinata an extra smile, Kurenai turned to Kiba, bending low so they were eye-to-eye. "Kiba?"

"Um, yes?" This close and he could smell the natto his teacher had eaten for breakfast that morning. She actually liked that stuff? Yuck. His teacher's red eyes bored into him, a distinctly unsettling feeling.

"Be nice to Hinata or you and Akamaru will find yourselves on garbage duty for a week, understand?"

Would she refuse to forget the prank he'd played on the girl their first week as a team? It had hardly been that bad. Privately, Kiba thought that the Hyuuga heir had vastly over-reacted to the worms he'd snuck down her collar. Honestly, how did she expect to become a kunoichi if she couldn't stand a few insects? Kurenai had not been of the same opinion unfortunately, and the ensuing punishment had nearly done him in.

Collecting Konoha's garbage was not a kind task for someone who had as sensitive a nose as Kiba did.

He'd tried to make it up to Hinata, he really had. But how exactly did one apologize to a girl who stuttered and blushed from mere eye contact? He'd be grateful if someone would explain the finer points of having a conversation with a person who offered no comprehensible response to him. Plus, the chick's dad was scary, there was no way Kiba wanted to risk upsetting a girl whose father could kill him with his little finger. Then again, he was hardly the most emotionally-sensitive of the boys in his year. Chouji would have been much better at maneuvering this situation.

It totally figured Kiba would get stuck on the genin team with a breakable princess type.

Thus it was with some trepidation that he watched the departure of his teacher and more robust teammate. Shino was cool. He and Kiba had been friends for ages, so long in fact, that Kiba couldn't remember ever being creeped out by the Aburame's bugs. And that was saying something since the boy had them leaking out of every pore.

Kiba felt bad for Shino and his current predicament. Sure, the boy had let his kikai mushi get a bit rowdy, and yes, they had attempted to drain Hinata's chakra. But it had all been in good fun, right? Weren't Hyuuga children supposed to be kick-ass ninjas? Look at that Neji guy from the year before, the kid was a frickin' genius. I mean, honestly, you would expect a girl who came from a family renowned for its one-on-one combat to be able to ward off a few bugs.

Maybe Hyuuga Hiashi hadn't covered that lesson yet.

Kurenai and Shino were out of sight by now and Akamaru shifted in the heavy silence that had fallen. Kiba stared at his dusty feet. Now what? Briefly he considered catching a nap in the warm sunshine, but reconsidered after visualizing Kurenai's inevitable reaction. No, knowing his teacher, she wanted him and Hinata to 'bond'. Put their differences aside and become hardy teammates in arms. But what to do?

Kiba doubted Hinata would want to chase rabbits with him and Akamaru.

Out of the corner of his eye, he observed the girl. She sat with her knees locked tightly together, so rigid in her pose she looked as if a slight breeze might topple her. Pale eyes were trained on clenched hands, not rising even once to catch his gaze. He shifted a bit and she flinched. Kiba frowned, was he really _that_ scary?

Akamaru was growing restless from the tension between the two humans, and abruptly stood, trotting his furry self over to sit at the girl's feet. Kiba sent his dog an appraising glance which the canine returned. Giving in, the boy shrugged, perhaps Akamaru had a better idea of what to do that he did. Sensing his master's approval, the pup gave a small bark, jumping up into Hinata's lap in a friendly manner.

"Ah!" Hinata became, if anything, more frozen. She drew her hands up to her face, keeping them well out of the way of Akamaru's fuzzy body. "Ah! I…I…your dog!"

"No, no don't worry!" Kiba hastened to explain, leaning forward a bit. "He's just being friendly, he wants you to pet him."

"H..he what?!" Hinata was nearly trembling, Kiba was amused to see, maybe she thought this was another trick. No matter how many cute looks Akamaru was trying on her, she refused to melt to his charms. Resigning himself to doing this the hard way, Kiba scooted over until he was next to the girl.

"Akamaru wants you to pet him. You know, pet his fur?" Her expression remained one of mild confusion colored by fear. Just how sheltered was this girl? "Haven't you ever petted a dog before?"

"I, um, no…that is, w…we don't have pets at the Hyuuga compound."

The concept was so utterly alien to him, Kiba could hardly process it. "Seriously?!" He asked, the energy in his voice making her flinch again. "That's so weird! My family's place has plenty of dogs, there're probably more dogs than humans."

"R…really?" Now it was her turn to look incredulous. "How…strange…"

Kiba colored a bit, she hadn't meant to comment to be mean, he knew, but he was a bit sensitive about the topic. "It's not strange." He muttered, "Not like that cold old prison you live in." He regretted the words the instant they were out, but could do nothing to take them back. "Er, sorry about that…I didn't mean."

"N…no, it's fine." She swallowed, "I'm sure you…you're not the only one wh…who thinks that."

He'd hurt her feelings, he could tell. Cursing under his breath, he wracked his brains for something, anything to say. If his sister Hana ever found out what he'd said she'd beat him to within an inch of his life. What could he say to make it right though? Darn it, why was he so inept at this?

"S…so how do I p...pet him?"

Kiba was so startled that Hinata hadn't clammed up completely after his blunder it took him a few seconds to process her question. "How do you pet him? Well, geez, it's simple, just stroke your hand over his fur like this." He demonstrated, giving the dog a quick rub under the chin. "See? Not hard at all."

"Oh." Tentatively, Hinata reached out, her hand making several quick darting movements across the canine's back. Akamaru shifted uncomfortably and Kiba was quick to shake his head.

"No, that's not right. You have to pet him in the same direction his fur grows, see? Otherwise it hurts him." Grabbing one of her hands he showed her how, running her small palm over his dog's ears in quick sure sweeps. "See? Just like this." Akamaru wagged his tail in encouragement.

"He…he likes it?"

"Well, yeah. Dogs love being petted." Kiba realized he was still holding her hand and dropped it quickly, fighting a blush. Good thing there was no one else on the training ground. Who knew what hell they'd give him for holding hands with a girl. Sheesh, that had been close.

"Why?" Hinata's cheeks were flushed a bit too, and he wondered if it was for the same reason his were. Shaking his head to clear it, Kiba focused on her question.

"Why do they like being petted?" She nodded, her hand moving in ever more confident strokes over Akamaru's back. The dog was reveling in the attention, the little manipulative git. "Well, why not? I mean, everyone likes being touched, don't they? It's comforting. Like when your mom hugs you or something." He looked up and found no comprehension in her face. Too late he remembered her mother was dead, killed in an encounter with Rice country when they'd been toddlers. "I…I'm sorry…" He fumbled, "I didn't think…"

"It's okay." She said, her voice strong and for once not fragmented. "I agree."

"Agree?"

"It's nice." She said, and the color rose higher in her cheeks. Her eyes, he noticed, were focused on the hand he had so recently clasped. "T…to be touched by s…someone."

"I…um…okay." Where in the world, he wondered as he watched her continue to pet his dog, had Kurenai and Shino gone?

By the time their sensei and teammate arrived back at the training ground, Kiba and Hinata were playing a lively game of fetch with Akamaru. Seeing the return of the rest of their team, they stopped, trotting over to greet them. Kurenai smiled as they ran up.

"Looks like you three found a good way to pass the time."

"Yeah, it was alright." Kiba shoved his hands into his pockets after positioning Akamaru in his familiar position on his head.

"K...Kiba taught me how to pet Akamaru!" Hinata told Kurenai. "He..he's a really nice dog."

"Yes, he is isn't he?" The two began to chat. Much more easily, Kiba noted, than anything he had managed.

"Taught her how to pet your dog, did you?" He looked up into the impenetrable stare of Shino. The raised eyebrow behind the sunglasses was innuendo enough. "Interesting."

"Shut the hell up Shino." Kiba growled. "I know what you're thinking and that is _not_ what happened."

"Didn't say anything." Shino interposed, the sun providing an appropriate twinkle off his lenses.

"Okay, that's _it_!"

Despite his good behavior around Hinata, Kurenai assigned Kiba garbage duty anyway for slugging Shino in the mouth.


	12. Junk Mail Slight NaruHina

_Author's Note: Hey all! Yes, I'm alive, and I apologize for the year it has taken me to get back to writing. Suffice it to say that I was studying in Japan and my English skills took a serious hit, so I thought it best to just leave my projects alone until I was back with both my feet firmly in the land of grammar. I want to thank everyone who emailed and reviewed during the absence, don't worry, everything started will be finished! I'm willing to take any requests as penance, just send them in and I'll do my best. Reviews are lovely, but I'm sure you all know that already :) _

**Junk Mail**

'CONGRATULATIONS!' The envelope screamed in bold red letters, 'YOU ARE A WINNER!!'

Hyuuga Hinata, ill-prepared for dealing with anything even faintly resembling praise, couldn't restrain the nervous blush that spread across her pale features. Ducking her head a bit, she brought the envelope closer for increased scrutiny. There was no evidence hinting at the person who'd sent her the frantically affirmative letter. The lack of return address, standard white envelope, hastily applied postage stamp, all of these were signs that this was just another mass mailed sweepstakes letter. And yet…

Hinata frowned slightly and leaned closer, was it just her or did the handwriting proclaiming her 'WINNER' status look vaguely familiar?

A soprano voice next to her left shoulder made her jump. "Did you get something interesting?" Sakura's peered inquisitively at the now slightly crumpled envelope Hinata held. "What's that?"

"Oh it's…it's nothing." Having momentarily forgotten her companions, Hinata turned to face Sakura and Ino, "J…just some junk mail." Both girls speared her with a glance and she blushed more furiously, though she wasn't quite sure why. Damn sympathetic nervous system. Her eyes darted nervously around the small post office they were standing in. "W…What?"

"Are you expecting us to believe us to believe you'd get this excited about junk mail?" Ino rolled her eyes, "You're blushing, sweating, can't talk, and have apparently forgotten that you need to move away from the counter so the next person in line, namely, ME can get their mail." Hinata, realizing her mistake, gave a small squeak and jumped out of the way, allowing Ino to move forward but not, unfortunately, stopping the girl's monologue.

"This has led Sakura and I to conclude that what you have received is very much NOT junk mail, and very much similar to say…a love letter?"

Nimble fingers snatched the suspect envelope away before Hinata could protest. "Ha! And as we suspected this is NOT just junk mail at all! It's…" A very stormy look descended over Ino's countenance. "…it IS just junk mail."

Hinata wondered if this was an appropriate time to laugh.

Ino was embarrassed, but, being Ino, would rather die than admit this. Therefore, for the second time in as many minutes Hinata found herself being speared with a steely gaze. "Hinata." Ino's voice was a remarkable study in calm. Calm of the decidedly pissed-off variety that is. "Why the hell are you blushing like an idiot about this piece of crap?"

Hinata wanted to point out that if she knew why her social skills were so severely debilitated she would remedy the problem immediately, but, having not yet reached that particular stage of enlightenment, had to settle for the truth. "It's just that th…the handwriting looked familiar to me and I thought…"

The letter, returned to her in a hasty shove, was beginning to look a bit worse for the wear. "I think we're going to have to work on raising your standards." Ino sniffed, tossing advice over her shoulder as she accepted her own mail from the postal clerk. "Because if just getting a form letter is enough to get you this ruffled then you're in danger of making dating WAY too easy for the men in this village." She stepped aside to let Sakura through. "Don't you think so Sakura? This could destroy years of hard work the two of us have invested into making Konoha's men slightly more aware of the basic niceties of dating!"

Sakura rolled her eyes slightly at Hinata to take away some of Ino's venom, but nodded in agreement nonetheless. "Ino's right, the romance potential of most of the leaf shinobi is not great." She grabbed her pile of mail from the clerk and the three of them headed towards the door.

Since Hinata didn't dare look at the troublesome little envelope again, Ino might kill her, she instead grabbed the door and swung it open just in time admit her slightly older, exponentially more intense cousin Neji and his teammate Tenten. They both nodded hello and she was about to pass by them into the sunlight when Sakura's puzzled exclamation made her freeze.

"Wait a sec, I think I got one too…"

"Well duh, it's a form letter." Hinata turned in time to see Sakura shaking her head negatively in response to Ino's comment.

"I don't think so Ino, look." Shifting the rest of her correspondence out of the way she showed them both an almost identical envelope to the one that had caused so much trouble for Hinata. Almost identical except…

'CONGRATULATIONS!' This one read, "SAKURA CHAN, YOU ARE SO CUTE!!'

"I don't think," Sakura said through gritted teeth, "that this is junk mail."

Ino had at this point also sorted through her mail and come up with yet another of the, apparently, personalized envelopes. 'CONGRATULATIONS!' Hers proclaimed, 'YOU'RE NOT ANGRY ALL THE TIME LIKE SHIKAMARU SAYS YOU ARE! IN FACT, SOMETIMES I THINK YOU'RE PRETTY NICE!!'

Hinata decided that this was definitely not an appropriate time to laugh.

"You were right, Hinata." Sakura said, turning the envelope over in her hands. "I recognize this handwriting too."

"Well it doesn't take a freakin' genius!" Ino stormed, eyes sparking dangerously. "Sakura, have I mentioned lately what a complete IDIOT your teammate is?"

"No, but I occasionally forget this myself." Sakura mumbled. The three of them turned as a decidedly cold aura seemed to manifest itself behind them. "Neji san?" Sakura asked, "Is there a problem?"

He didn't reply, simply held out yet another envelope. 'CONGRATULATIONS! I'M GONNA KICK YOUR BUTT AND BECOME THE NEXT HOKAGE!'

"Ah." All of them moved out of the way as he stormed out of the post office and, presumably, began the hunt.

"Wait for me!" Stuffing all of her mail into Sakura's hands, Ino took off after the Hyuuga heir.

Hinata hoped their prey got a head start.

"Mine isn't so bad." Tenten ventured, "Not sure what he was thinking sending that to Neji though." In her hands livid red letters reassured her that 'CONGRATULATIONS! YOU DEFINITELY MAKE THE BEST KUNAI ATTACKS EVER!!' She and Sakura headed outside.

Hinata followed, but as she did she ran a finger underneath the seal of the letter that had started all this trouble. It had occurred to her that in all the commotion caused by the envelope, no one had bothered to look inside. Half expecting it to be empty she was a tad surprised when a small card tumbled out into her waiting hand.

'Hey Hinata!' It read, still in garish red print, 'Tsunade sama told me I should put all my annoying energy to good use and try to share all my pointless optimism with the rest of Konoha! That was a direct quote! Can you tell? Anyway, hope you like your letter! Let's go get ramen sometime! – Naruto'

Hinata decided this was definitely an appropriate time to laugh and did so all the way out into the sunshine.


End file.
